Girl, 10, grabs wheel when mom blacks out

UPI News Service, 02/15/2013

A 10-year-old Australian girl is being hailed as a hero for taking the wheel of a car when her mother blacked out behind the wheel.

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The parents of Imogen Barkus say the 10-year-old reacted quickly when her mother, Peta, 40, blacked out Monday while driving in Brisbane with the girl's 3-year-old sister in the back seat, the Brisbane Courier-Mail reported Friday.

The girl was able to steer the car around other vehicles, power poles and a brick wall for two blocks until her mother's foot finally fell from the gas pedal.

"It was too easy to steer, and I almost crashed, but I didn't. The police called me a hero and now every teacher at school knows," Imogen said.

Peta Barkus, who said doctors have not yet determined what caused her lose consciousness, said she was impressed with her daughter's bravery.

"She showed a lot of responsibility for a child her age," she said.

Father Adrian Barkus said he is proud of Imogen.

"She's [usually] such a shy and unsure type of girl [but] I told her she was a little hero and she had saved her and her mother's life," he said.

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